Overview
- U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joined European and Ukrainian leaders in Paris to endorse a five-point framework that includes a U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism.
- France and the UK signed a declaration of intent to field a European-led reassurance force after a ceasefire, and Emmanuel Macron briefed MPs on a potential several-thousand-strong French deployment, with one opposition leader citing about 6,000 troops.
- European readiness to deploy depends on a binding U.S. commitment to support and, if necessary, protect those forces, as NATO’s Article 5 would not apply on Ukrainian territory and any UN mandate or bilateral legal guarantees remain unsettled.
- The Coalition of the Willing—roughly 30 to 35 countries including most EU states, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Turkey—plans to help build defensive fortifications and participate in monitoring while Ukrainian forces stay the first line of defense.
- Von der Leyen linked the guarantees to Zelenskiy’s 20-point proposal discussed with President Trump and said the EU will present a “prosperity” paper to support Ukraine’s economy after a ceasefire.